By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
PITMAN — Elijah Crispin is taking on a new dynamic this winter.
Known for his signature three-point shots, the Pitman senior is driving to the basket more than ever before, and it’s paying off.
The star 6-foot point guard seemingly powered his way to the basket with ease on Monday night, scoring 35 points as Pitman defeated Triton, 81-51, in the Pitman Holiday Classic championship.
The Panthers are now 4-1 and will host Clayton in a Tri-County Classic divisional matchup on Friday.
“I think a big focus was getting physically quicker and stronger so that I felt confidence going to the basket,” said Crispin, who has more than 1,400 career points. “I think the way our team’s built, not just me, but as a team we need to attack, get to the lane so that we can shoot the threes that we’re really, really good at.
“That starts with making (opposing teams) think about the two. I think my role of attacking the basket, putting pressure on the rim is really important so that we can hit the threes down the road.”
That plan came to fruition in full force against the Mustangs (2-3, 1-0 Tri-County Liberty).
With Pitman (4-1, 1-0 Tri-County Classic) leading 31-25 at halftime, Crispin had 19 points, but not a single long-range shot. Except for free throws, all of his shots came from driving and executing at the rim.
But, true to form, he still ripped three consecutive third-quarter threes to put the game away for the Panthers.
“I think everybody would like to have somebody like Elijah,” Pitman coach Ron Myers said. “He really creates so many different mismatches for us from the defensive end. He’s so hard to guard, to stay in front of. He sees the floor so well. There are a lot of things we can do from an offensive standpoint because we have Elijah. This year, he’s completely locked in. So there’s a different Elijah than there was the past two years. He’s stronger, he’s more physical, and he’s put the work in to be able to learn how to finish at the basket.
“Now it’s pick your poison because there’s not many people in South Jersey that can say in front of him one-on-one, let alone when he’s able to shoot the ball,” Myers continued. “So you have to choose what you’re going to do, let him shoot the three or play up on him and take a chance of him driving by you.”
As a junior last year, Crispin — son of Gloucester County’s all-time leading scorer, Pitman alum and former NBA player Joe Crispin (2,651 points) — recorded 575 points in 31 games while leading the Panthers to the South Jersey Group 1 title and a state semifinal appearance. Through five contests this winter, he already has 152 points, good for an average of 30.4 points per game, 12 points per game better than last season.
He has a chance at making history and becoming the third player in his family to score 2,000 points. His uncle, Jon, also reached the mark, scoring 2,319 points during his prep career playing alongside Joe.
Elijah stands 534 points away from the milestone.
It may be early in the season, but you couldn’t write a better script to start off a senior campaign for this Crispin.
NEXT MAN UP
When it comes to varsity sports at the Group 1 level, the next-man-up mantra is repeated frequently.
No school preaches that mentality more than Pitman, whose 300 total students ranks among the fewest in South Jersey.
Senior Aidan Stranahan never played varsity basketball prior to this season.
He played on the junior varsity team his sophomore season before an injured ankle derailed the entirety of his junior campaign.
A Camden County College commit for baseball, most would understand if he decided to hang up the hoops jersey and focus on the spring.
Instead, filling the role of graduated big-man Stephen Devanney, Stranahan decided to play basketball and has been a much-needed surprise for the Panthers.
“I came in here and did what I had to do in practice and I think we definitely have a good chance to go back-to-back (in South Jersey Group 1),” Stranahan said of deciding to return to play a final season. “I never really got to prove myself and show what I’m capable of doing.
“I think I showed that pretty good tonight, and I think that I can be big for our team. I think we can go pretty far and make a run.”
In front of a packed house and Christmas-pajamas-themed student section, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound center showed Panther nation what he’s all about with a career-high 13 points. He’s also averaging 7.4 rebounds per contest.
“Aiden has been a very pleasant surprise for us,” coach Myers said. “He was out the majority of last year with a sprained ankle, so he only played a handful of games, if that. With losing everybody we lost to graduation, we were really concerned, size-wise, and were worried about a fifth starter.
“He has put those concerns to rest. He’s really solidified that fifth spot for us. He’s a strong, tough kid down there. He battles, he rebounds.”
Said Crispin, “we didn’t even really have crazy expectations coming in because we hadn’t seen him play in almost two years. He went from playing (limited) minutes on JV sophomore year to starting a varsity game, and right away, he made a big impact.
“I think everybody I’ve talked to is surprised. Lots of (graduated) teammates from last year have said that they weren’t expecting that. He’s really surprised us and his size, his physicality has really been a big thing for us. Rebounding, boxing out, doing everything for us.”
Michael Fisicaro added 20 points on five threes for Pitman. Talen Walsh and Joel Almarez-Olivares paced Triton with 13 points each.
Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com.
